History
The Blue Rose Bed and Breakfast is a Queen Anne Victorian designed by Architect, William C. Walker of Rochester, NY for Mrs. Mark D. Hanover in 1892. Mrs. Hanover's late husband owned the Mount Morris Illuminating Company so it became the first house in Mt. Morris installed with electricity. The house was completed in 1894 by a local builder and contractor, Peter Aex, who built four Victorian homes in Mt. Morris in the 1890s.
In 1902, Frank Eastwood and Mary Frances Seymour Van Dorn purchased the home from Charles W. Bingham of Bingham Bros. Bank, who acquired the home in 1897. The Van Dorn and Seymour families were well-respected and influential businesspeople. Frank Van Dorn worked in banking and insurance. Paternal grandparents, John and Mary Lucretia Van Dorn lived next door.
The Seymour family can be traced back to England in the 1600s. Many members of the family were activists, lawyers, and politicians. Women’s rights activist, Mary Catherine Seymour Howell, was the aunt of Mrs. Van Dorn and was born in Mount Morris. Mary Seymour Howell worked directly with Susan B. Anthony and was instrumental in securing women's right to vote in the Western United States. She also authored the Women's Suffrage Bill that passed in the NYS Assembly in 1892. Mrs. Howell died in 1913 before the passage of the 19th Amendment for the Women's Right to Vote in 1920.
In October 2021, descendants of Frank and Mary Van Dorn's daughter, Madeline Van Dorn Moller, came to stay at our bed and breakfast after seeing the house for the first time. Chris Moller has written a book based on his grandmother's recorded history, which includes her life growing up in Mount Morris, "My Life Story." Madeline and her sister, Elizabeth are pictured above in front of the house around 1911. Copies of the book will remain with the house for future owners and are also available at the Mt. Morris Library.
On November 13, 2022, the Blue Rose Bed and Breakfast was awarded the 2022 Small Business Award for Historic Preservation from The Landmark Society of Western New York. We are very excited to share this award with all of the previous owners of this historic property as each owner has contributed to its continued maintenance and preservation over the years. It is an honor to be chosen for this prestigious award and we look forward to sharing this beautiful home with our family, friends, and our wonderful guests!
Meet Your Innkeepers
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take,
but by the moments that take your breath away.”
Our love of Victorian architecture and preserving its history has led us to a new chapter in our forty-nine years of marriage. With our two sons grown with families of their own, we started searching for a Victorian home to restore as a Bed and Breakfast. We began renovating our 1894 Queen Anne Victorian over twelve years ago along with revitalizing its’ gardens after moving to the historic Village of Mount Morris.
Throughout our years together, David and I have always been active in our community. First, in our hometown of Le Roy, David coached youth sports for many years while I supported the Garden Club, Historical Society, LEADER Group, and started the Le Roy Sports Boosters. Now in Mount Morris, we have continued our community involvement by supporting the new Garden Club, Mt. Morris Library, and Partners for Progress with fundraising activities and local projects.
We look forward to sharing our home’s almost 130-year history with you as well as our love for the Victorian era. Our home has been lovingly restored with period antiques along with all of the modern amenities. Return to the romance of yesteryear and create your own special moments that take your breath away!
David and Michele Shaughnessy, Innkeepers
